


How Dark the Night, How Bright the Dawn

by MarsFlameSniper



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Gen, Makoto Niijima Week, The relationship is a background thing, not really the focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 22:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12119019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarsFlameSniper/pseuds/MarsFlameSniper
Summary: The darkness has never changed. Only Makoto, and the family she surrounds herself with, has.Written for Makoto Week on Tumblr





	How Dark the Night, How Bright the Dawn

At five years old, Makoto is already troubled enough by the darkness that it paralyses her. Leaves her sobbing in her bed for her father when she wakes from a particularly terrifying nightmare in the dead of night.

The black is thick and impenetrable; ghoulish hands from her dream that had reached out towards her still seem all too real even after waking. Hungry mouths surely wait for her in the darkness, ready to gobble up terrified children, and the idea only makes her sob louder. She wants her father to save her, her brave father who was a _police officer_ (she’d often tell the other children at her school proudly) which meant he’d certainly be able to make the bad monsters in the dark leave her be.

But in the darkness, he seems so far away, and she can’t help the tears that roll down in her cheeks. She screws up her eyes to block out the night, and therefore misses the telltale sign of her rescue: the merciful bar of light under her door that signals the hall light being switched on. Her cries mute the muffled thump of footsteps, and even the click of her door swinging open does nothing to rouse her from her terror. All that relieves her is the gentle press of her father’s arms on either side of her as she is scooped up into his embrace.

“Shhh little one, it’s okay. Did you have a scary dream?”

Terror and relief swirl unendingly through her, turning her words into yet more tears and she clutches onto her father with all the strength her little frame can muster.

“My brave one, daddy’s got you now. I’ll keep you safe.”

Such is her faith in her father that, even through her tears, she knows his words are the truth. The darkness seems just a little less scary with him there.

 

* * *

 

At fifteen years old, the darkness still troubles her, but not enough to paralyze her in her bed. And it’s certainly not enough to leave her in floods of tears calling out for her father.

Not that he’d come anyway.

She sighs roughly, reaching over to switch on her lamp, annoyed at the feeling of comfort that accompanies the illumination. The dream had been terrible, hands reaching out of the darkness to seize up her father, ignoring her screams and snatching him away into the gloom. Never to return.

Shaking her head, she slides out of bed and, barely cognizant of what she is doing, walks through the apartment until she finds herself at the small shrine that had been built for her father. Lowering herself down until the picture is at eye level, she stares into his eyes, her thoughts barely awake but not quite asleep, until she imagines she can feel his arms around her again.

Still awake, Sae finds her in the morning on her way to an early lecture, and the disappointed huff that heaves from her lungs makes Makoto’s back tense, but she does not turn to face her older sister. Sae had not stopped wearing dark business suits since the funeral, even for her classes. Her face was always stern now, and she had thrown herself into her law studies with a ferociousness that concerned Makoto. Privately, she wonders if the hands in the night had stolen her sister away too.

 

* * *

 

At twenty-five years old, Makoto realises that she will always have to live with the fact that the darkness scares her. Yes, the panic had been reduced into a mere unease after her tenure as a Phantom Thief, but fear is an insensible thing, and even now she can’t quite quell the desire to curl up into a ball until the sun rises.

A light touch to her hand quashes the unease, and she looks into her wife’s eyes, suppressing the urge to grin as they flutter open and shut, concern warring with her own desire to rest.

“Wha’s matter? Bad dream?” Ann slurs. Makoto nods and lets herself be pulled closer into a comforting hug.

“The one about the hands again. In the dark.”

Ann nuzzles the crook of her neck, and the nightmare already feels like a faded piece of film in her mind.

“You have that one lots.”

Saying nothing, Makoto focuses on her breathing. She supposed she did have it fairly often, but it had seemed less terrifying to her in recent years. There were things in the dark she had seen much more gruesome than hands after all, and much worse that she had defeated besides. Slowly, she dozes off.

 

* * *

 

At thirty-five, Makoto is still a light enough sleeper that she catches the first whimper of fear in the night, and knows exactly what to do. Without waking Ann, she slips from their bed and makes her way down to their daughter’s bedroom, careful to turn on the hall light first.

The sight is an uncommon one, their six year old daughter was usually a restful dreamer, but tonight that had clearly not been the case. Makoto switches on the small nightlight on the bedside table before drawing the frightened child into a comforting hug.

“There there, mama’s got you. Did you have a bad dream Sachiko-chan?”

“A monster was chasing me!”

Stroking her daughter’s hair, Makoto listens to the details of a monster dog that had been chasing her daughter through her school. Despite her care at leaving, Makoto senses when Ann comes to the doorway to listen.

“Mama? You and mommy will keep me safe from the monster, right?”

Squeezing just that little bit tighter, Makoto whispers a promise into her young daughter’s ear that she intends to always keep, “I will, and so will your mom too. We both will.”

So saying, she tucks Sachiko back into bed, fingers pausing as they reach for the nightlight.

“Do you want me to keep this on love?”

Small eyes dart between her own and the light, before Sachiko shakes her head determinedly. Smiling, Makoto clicks off the lamp, inviting the night back into her home. With a last look, she turns toward Ann as they both leave the room, door closing behind them.

“Everything okay in there?” Ann asks her fondly.

Not even needing to think about the answer, Makoto nods.

“Everything’s just fine.”


End file.
